Heterogeneous student perceptions of accounting course importance and their implications for SET reporting and use

This research tests for an association between student perceptions of accounting course importance (PCI) and student evaluation of teaching (SET) ratings of satisfaction with instructor performance, course quality, and grading procedures. The study also investigates whether instructor rankings constructed from SET ratings vary across student groupings based on PCI. Using responses from students enrolled in introductory accounting classes at three AACSB-accredited accounting programs we find that SET ratings vary significantly with PCI. We also find that instructor rankings constructed from SET ratings vary with PCI. These findings suggest that, when heterogeneous perceptions are present, satisfying all students enrolled in a course may not be possible and that reliance on aggregated SET data may obscure important differences in student opinion. In this circumstance, disaggregating SET data by PCI and emphasizing the feedback of students holding higher (stronger) perceptions of course importance may enhance SET diagnostic value.     

Communication skills in accounting education: Perceptions of academics,employers and graduate accountants

Communication skills are central to intellectual interaction between the providers and the recipients of information. The importance of accounting starts with the gathering and processing of information and ends with the communication of processed information. This paper examines the communication skills which employers, academics and graduate accountants consider necessary to the newly graduated accountant. It also identifies and considers the differences in perception which occur between these groups and suggests solutions to the communication gap. This study confirms findings from previous research that new graduate accountants experience communication-related problems in early employment. In addition, it provides evidence that the Australian accounting curriculum has contributed to the development of communication skills. However, the paper highlights the need for the reconsideration of an emphasis on communication skills in the accounting curriculum, a role which arises from the very nature of accounting as the processing and communication of information.     

A comparison of the dominant meta programme patterns in accounting undergraduate students and accounting lecturers at a UK business school

Meta programmes are a means of describing the behavioural traits that a person exhibits when interacting with other people. An understanding of meta programmes can improve communication between individuals and this may have implications for teaching. The purposes of this study are first to identify the dominant meta programme patterns of first year accounting undergraduates at a UK business school. An earlier pilot study validated use of the Motivation Profile Questionnaire (MPQ) to elicit the dominant meta programmes of accounting lecturers at the same Business School (Brown, 2002). Secondly, the students' meta programmes are compared with those of their accounting teachers to identify whether there are any differences or similarities between the two groups. The matching of the meta programmes of the teachers and students would enhance communication whilst major differences in meta programmes would make communication more difficult. A sample of 62 first year accounting undergraduates and 20 accountancy teachers completed the MPQ. The results indicate that, on average, the accounting students have similar dominant meta programme patterns to their accounting teachers. The implications of the findings for improving communication and therefore teaching are discussed, along with the scope for further research.     

Influences of individual-level characteristics on risk perceptions to various categories of environmental health and safety risks

Over the last five decades, social science researchers have examined how the public perceives the risks associated with a variety of environmental health and safety (EHS) hazards. The body of literature that has been emerged diverse both in the methodology employed to collect and analyze data and in the subject of study. The findings have confirmed that risk perceptions vary between groups of individuals as well as between categories of EHS risks. However, the extant literature on EHS risk perceptions has failed to provide empirical insights into how risk perceptions can be best explained according to the interplay of both (1) the category of EHS hazard appraised and (2) the prominent individual-level characteristics that best explain observed risk perception differences. This study addresses this deficiency in the literature by providing insights into the individual and cumulative roles that various individual-level variables play in characterizing risk perceptions to various categories of EHS risks including ‘agentic risks’ like street drug use and cigarette smoking, ‘emerging technological risks’ like nanoparticles and cloning, and ‘manufacturing risks’ like air and chemical pollution. Our data are drawn from the 2009 Citizens, Science, and Emerging Technologies national study of United States households that investigated public perceptions of EHS risks, traditional and emerging media use, and various individual characteristics like personal demographics, socioeconomic factors, and perceptual filters. The findings show that some categories of EHS risks like those associated with emerging technologies may be more easily predicted than other categories of risks and that individual-level characteristics vary in their explanative power between risk categories even among a single sample of respondents.     

Comparative evaluation of a teaching innovation in accounting education: intensive learning in a seminar format

This paper reports a teaching innovation involving intensive learning and the evaluation of that innovation. A review of the literature reveals a lack of research about how effective intensive programmes are in enhancing student learning. In this study the performance of students studying accounting during an intensive summer-school in seminar format was compared with those studying during the regular semester in a lecture and tutorial format. Performance was compared by reference to students' grades and the understanding and retention of a key concept in the subject. Student study habits and the experiences of staff and students who participated in the summer-school were also evaluated. This study concluded that summer-school students' performance was better than regular semester students in the accounting subject studied. Their performance was equivalent or better than the regular semester students in the three other subjects studied in first semester. Summer-school students demonstrated a more complete understanding of a key concept than did the students in the regular semester, with this difference sustained after two years. There was a positive response to the summer-school by those staff and students who participated.     

Development of accounting in Iran

The main purpose of this paper is to show the origin, growth and practice of accounting in Iran plus analysis of influential factors such as financial markets, tax policies, privatization, membership in the World Trade Organization, foreign investment, and legal systems. Documents of ancient Iran show that in 550 B.C. (Achaemenid era), all records of public revenues and costs were kept soundly and with remarkable accuracy. These documents display the relentless progress and development of accounting in Iran up until now (pre-Islamic era, post-Islamic era, and contemporary era). During the past two decades, various measures have been adopted to promote and advance accounting in Iran via harmonizing the domestic accounting practices with International norms and standards. Although Iran has employed International Accounting Standards as the basis for developing its National Accounting Standards, there are still some differences between Iranian and international standards, and there are some certain International Accounting Standards that are not applicable in Iran. A host of endemic factors, such as existing laws and rules, religious beliefs, culture, economic and political conditions, have influenced the National Accounting Standards setting processes.     

A rejoinder to the commentaries on Professor Chambers' 1999 paper the poverty of accounting discourse

The resource presented in this paper introduces and contextualises the teaching of Customer Lifetime Valuation (CLV) to management accounting students. CLV is a relatively recent innovation. It involves calculating the present value of expected net cash flows generated over the lifetime of an organisation's relationship with a particular customer/customer segment and using this information better to manage returns derived from a customer base. The Teaching Resource provides an introduction to the topic, suggested learning objectives, suitable student reading, and an innovative case (OzInsure case) facilitating students' technical competence and evaluation of CLV. Also included are suggested solutions and further background information situating the use and development of the teaching resource. Feedback received from peers and students indicates the utility of the Teaching Resource, and provides guidance as to its future development. More generally, this resource illustrates the feasibility of using instructors' research experiences to inform learning in management accounting.     

Public reactions to the 2013 Chinese H7N9 Influenza outbreak: perceptions of risk,stakeholders, and protective actions

This study used the Protective Action Decision model to guide a survey of 762 respondents in Anhui province, China during the 2013 Avian Influenza A (H7N9) outbreak. The data suggest that three types of psychological variables – risk perceptions, protective action perceptions, and stakeholder perceptions – influenced people’s behavioral expectations of adopting protective actions. In addition, the effects of demographic variables on behavioral expectations were quite variable, with some being unrelated to behavioral expectations, some being related but unmediated by the psychological variables, and others being either partially or completely mediated by the psychological variables. These results can help public health officials to communicate more effectively when encouraging people to protect themselves during an influenza emergency.     

The prospect of online communication in the event of a disaster

In modern society, enormous amounts of information are instantly exchanged, and topics shift rapidly. People desire and share information to foster a sense of membership in their societies. The trend of Internet communication is present in many types of groups. During the circumstances of disasters, the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and Tsunami and Typhoon Haiyan (local name, Yolanda) in the Philippines in 2013, social networking services (SNS) constituted a considerably effective method for sharing/exchanging information about the significance of the disaster, confirming family members’ and friends’ whereabouts, locating shelters, relief, food and goods rationing, and so on. Not only did individuals seek/provide information, but government agencies also utilized the social media channels to communicate with the public. Hence, developing and adopting communication in a virtual space were considerably effective for decision-makers in providing emergency services. This study examined SNS users’ accounts based on discretionary decisions during two major disasters: the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011 and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013. In the case of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011, government agencies and NPOs actively utilized SNS functions, whereas the mass media distributed information during Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013.     

An investigation of compliance with international accounting standards by listed companies in the Gulf Co-Operation Council member states

This study investigates the extent of compliance with international accounting standards (IASs) by companies in the Gulf Co-Operation Council (GCC) member states (Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). Based on a sample of 137 companies (436 company-years) we find that compliance increased over time, from 68% in 1996 to 82% in 2002. Despite strong economic and cultural ties between the GCC states, there was significant between-country variation in compliance and among companies based on size, leverage, internationality, and industry. The study provides evidence of de jure but not de facto harmonization in the region. Noncompliance reflected some ineffectiveness in the functions of external auditors and enforcement bodies, which may be of interest to countries that have adopted IASs recently.     

An analysis of the adoption, perceived benefits, and expected future emphasis of western management accounting practices in Chinese SOEs and JVs

This paper considers the adoption, perceived benefits, and expected future emphasis of western management accounting practices in the Chinese emerging market economy based on a sample of 64 joint ventures (JVs) and 115 State Owned Enterprises (SOE) gathered from a questionnaire survey. The study finds that the level of adoption of management accounting practices is most influenced by ownership type of the enterprise (JV or SOE) and to a lesser extent by the nature of the management accounting techniques to be adopted. A further significant finding is that management accounting practices such as budgeting for controlling costs, profit and sales budgeting, and target costing are perceived to be more beneficial for SOEs compared to JVs. However, responsibility accounting which is traditionally associated with SOEs and accounting for decision making is perceived to be less beneficial to SOEs compared with JVs.     

The effects of environmental,social and governance disclosures and performance on firm value: A review of the literature in accounting and finance

This paper not only attempts to survey the burgeoning literature on environmental, social and governance disclosures and performance and their effects on firm value, but its focus also lies on highlighting stylised observations coming from the most recent work that has not yet become part of the ‘conventional wisdom’ in the field. In addition, it outlines some of the crucial knowledge gaps and interesting questions that have not, as of yet, been addressed and thus outlines a potential agenda for future research on socially responsible investing. Lastly, it introduces the papers published in this special issue of the British Accounting Review.     

The change in the value relevance of accounting information after mergers and acquisitions: evidence from the adoption of SFAS 141(R)

This study examines how and why investors change the use of their information sources in valuation between book value and earnings after mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in both pre- and post-SFAS 141(R) periods. We find that investors generally put less weight on earnings but more weight on book value after M&A than before M&A, and that such a change is particularly strong after the adoption of SFAS 141(R). By looking at goodwill, other intangible assets and other balance sheet accounts that SFAS 141(R) amended, we further find that SFAS 141(R) improves the value relevance of book value components after M&A.